Kazakhstan is situated in Central Asia, bordering with Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan and stretches 994 miles from north to south and over 1,740 miles from west to east. The territory of Kazakhstan is 1.7 million square miles. Surprising to most of us in the US, Kazakhstan is the world's 9th largest country, with a total border length of 7,573 miles.

The climate is continental. The average temperature in January is -19 to -4 degrees Celsius (-2 to 25 degrees Fahrenheit), and in July +19 to +26 degrees Celsius (66 to 79 degrees Fahrenheit). A translation by a couple who lives in Orlando, Florida... COLD!

The population of Kazakhstan is 14,869,100 (as of January 2001). During the majority of our trip, we will be in Oral, Kazakhstan - a city with a population of about 250,000.

Over 100 nationalities comprise the populace of Kazakhstan. Approximately 51% of the population are Kazakh, 32% Russian, 5% Ukrainian, and German, Uzbek and Tatar are 2% each.

More Info...

www.president.kzThis is the official site of Kazakhstan, created under the direction of President Nazarbayev. The site is a little dry, but does contain some great information about the economy, culture and history of the country.

www.cia.gov
This is a great site to visit if you're after some quick facts about Kazakhstan... geography, people, government, etc.

www.lonelyplanet.comWe really like this site! It's not as formal as the other two sites, and it provides a little more of a real-world account of the country (both the positive and negative).

The Flag of Kazakhstan...

During our trip, we will do our best to experience the culture and see the sites of Kazakhstan. As we take pictures, we'll be posting them in the daily photo journal.